Tuesday, January 29, 2008

More NCJRS Abstracts, January 29, 2007

AMONG THE LATEST RESEARCH POSTED AT http://www.ncjrs.gov/. CHECK FOR OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST THERE AS WELL.

NCJ 221130Scott Vollum; Dennis R. LongmireCovictims of Capital Murder: Statements of Victims' Family Members and Friends Made at the Time of ExecutionViolence and Victims Volume:22 Issue:5 Dated:2007 Pages:601 to 619

This study attempts to examine whether the needs of healing, closure, and psychological adjustment are met with the sentencing of an offender to death, and it attempts to shed light on the experiences and perspectives of covictims regarding the death penalty process and the execution of the individual responsible for their loss. The grief of covictims in the aftermath of murder is especially acute given the extraordinary traumatic nature of the loss. The needs of covictims in the weeks, months, and years following the murder are many and diverse but often revolve around notions of closure and healing, of moving on with one’s life in the wake of the tragedy one has experienced at the hands of a murderer. The statements of covictims in this article reinforce the importance of these elements for covictims. In an overwhelming majority of cases, covictims bring up factors related to healing and closure. However, there is some ambivalence in regard to whether the execution or death penalty assists or hinders the meeting of these needs. It appears that meeting these needs in the context of the retributive punishment of death is elusive. In many cases, victims report finding little solace in the fact that the condemned inmate who killed their loved one will be or was killed. The most common specific themes were expressions of dissatisfaction with the execution and/or death penalty more generally. There was dissatisfaction with the length of time it took before the execution was finally carried out, and dissatisfaction with something the condemned said or did at the time of execution. This study builds from previous studies and examines the breadth and depth of covictim statements. Covictim statements were obtained through articles reporting on executions. Using content analysis, 10 major thematic categories of statements were identified and examined. Table, notes, references

Based on survey data collected from 652 tax offenders, this Australian study tested Braithwaite's theory of reintegrative shaming in the context of white-collar crime. The study found that those tax offenders who perceived the handling of their case as more reintegrative (designed to develop law-abiding behavior) than stigmatizing (impose negative labels and punitive sanctions) were less likely to report that they had evaded their taxes in the years following their enforcement experience. Reintegration predicted slightly less shame acknowledgement, not more. A desire to "put things right" was more influential in reducing reoffending than having a feeling of shame regarding the offense. The findings lend general support to the reintegrative shaming theory in the white-collar crime context. Braithwaite's theory argues that disapproval that is reintegrative is conducted in a respectful and healing manner. It makes a special effort to avoid stigmatizing labeling and ends disapproval with rituals of forgiveness or reconciliation. The findings of this study suggest that in order to prevent possible reoffending after an enforcement experience, regulators should adopt enforcement procedures that emphasize the reintegration of offenders back into society under the assumption that they have learned their lesson and will adopt law-abiding behavior. The 652 tax offenders who participated in the study had all been caught and punished for investing in illegal tax avoidance schemes. The survey to which the participants responded contained over 200 questions designed to test respondents' attitudes toward the Australian tax system, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and paying taxes. A number of questions were also designed to assess respondents' self-reported tax compliance behavior and their views about their enforcement experience. The study focused on ATO reintegration/stigmatization variables, shame-related emotion variables, and self-reported noncompliance with tax laws. 3 tables, 1 figure, 59 references, and appended survey items used in the study's analysis